Falling Apart
by rare'treasure
Summary: Renamed: Prequel to Cold Hard Truth for those who wondered how Joey and Seto got together. SxJ Warning for abuse and character death.
1. Part 1

_AN1To those who find this story familiar, this is a reposting from my other name, KaiaSkye (to assure you that I'm not a plagiarist). Only reason for this was to deter certain snoops in my family who has no need to know every type of story that I write since they just wouldn't understand.  
_

_AN2 Once again I don't own a thing except for the plot. Seems like I forgot a disclaimer the first time around hehe. Well here it is. k_

**Part One**

"Get back here you little whore!" An unkempt man yelled when his son wrenched open the door of the apartment.

"Joey, what's wrong?" Serenity asked when her brother almost ran into her. "What happened to your face? I could hear Father yelling from down the street!"

"Seren, you shouldn't be here right now." Joey hissed then grabbed her upper arm. "We have to go now before…"

His words ended in a yelp when their father grabbed his shoulder and pulled them in. "Where do you think your going, whore?"

"Daddy?" Serenity whimpered as she smelled the stale alcohol smell roll off him in waves.

Red-rimmed, watery eyes looked up and down her body with a calculating gleam in his eye. Startled, Serenity backed away from the man she barely recognized. With a growl, Joey stepped between them. "Leave her alone, Dad. Let us go and… later you can do whatevah you want wid me."

"Joey, what?" His sister exclaimed then felt her stomach drop at the lascivious gleam in their father's muddy brown eyes.

"What if I want my fun now?" He purred then pushed his son away before he reached for the frightened girl.

Joey groaned when his head hit the railing. Everything had blurred before him and he tried valiantly to clear his vision when he heard Serenity scream. Glazed brown eyes widened in horror as his sister stepped back into nothing then seemed to fall backward in slow-motion. "Serenity!"

The horrible scream alerted several neighbors that usually ignore the disturbances through the thin walls. Many came out cautiously to be greeted by a horrifying scene. Each cement stair glistened in the streetlight with crimson, but the sight of a reddish haired figure facedown at the bottom made them gasp. Her body seemed twisted and a pool of blood spread around her head. Joey scrambled the last of the steps to her broken body. He fell onto his knees to check her with tears streaming down his face as he cried her name. Those tears glistened when he looked up the horrified faces of his neighbors then screamed. "What are you standing around for, dammit? Call 9-1-1!"

Someone from the parking lot nodded as they continued to speak into their cell. "I'm not sure, but there's a lot of blood. Please hurry."

Joey refocused on his sister through his tears as he whispered brokenly. "Please don't leave me, Seren. You're all I have left…please."

The mournful wail of the ambulance echoed in the night as it drove away from the scene of the crime. It was then that the police officers took over with their investigation and questions. Several of the onlookers sighed in relief when cuffs were snapped onto the drunks hands and he was led away. What a pity that such a thing had to happen before anything was finally done about the situation no one had really wanted to talk about.

_--_

"It's all your fault that she's dead, Joseph! You should of never dragged her into your crappy life!"

"Yeah you're so right, Mother. After all you're the one who let her go by herself when you knew what she could be walking into. But then you knew what he was like the day you left me with that…"

The sound of her hand as it connected with his face echoed in the hospital hallway. With one final glare she spun on her heel to enter the room where they had left her daughter. Joey sighed heavily as his hands slowly relaxed before he headed in the opposite direction. Who needed her to tell him what he already knew anyhow? Once again the hall blurred in front of him just in time for him to stumble over something or someone if the yelp of pain was anything to go by, unless that was him. Joey ended up on his butt in the middle of the hallway with his legs tangled in a wheelchair. Golden bangs hid his eyes and part of the red handprint on his cheek. The air of sadness that hung around him added to the dejected sight that melted the heart of another.

_Just like a lost puppy. _"You truly are a clumsy mutt, Wheeler." Kaiba sighed after he had checked to see if his brother was okay.

"_Big brother! _Go see if he's okay." Mokuba spoke in exasperation.

"I'm fine." Joey muttered as he tried to push himself up, but cried out when the sharp pain shot up his leg. "Dammit, I forgot bout dat."

A young doctor bustled over to the mini-crash then crouched down in front of the teen with a penlight. "You could have a minor concussion. I take it they never checked you out."

The blond shook his head then groaned. "No they were focused on my sista."

"Hmmm I see." The doctor answered with a heavy sigh then glanced at the taller teen. "Mr. Kaiba, could you help me get him into the exam room?"

The brunette nodded then bent over to scoop the younger teen into his arms. A dark blush added to Joey's mottled features to give it an interesting hue of blues and reds. A dark eyebrow raised at the odd colors. "Who did this to you?"

"My father before he..." He muttered darkly then gasped when Kaiba set him on the exam table.

A few ragged breaths left him before he finished his statement. "before he killed my sista."

"Yet your mother blamed you." Kaiba stated dryly then noticed the surprise in his eyes so he added, "We heard her yelling and Mokuba wanted to see if you were okay."

"Hmmm just as I thought, Mr. Wheeler, your ankle is broken and unless I miss my guess it was probably already fractured. Of course I'll need to get an x-ray of it to be certain." The doctor said briskly then laid his hand on Joey's shoulder only to feel him wince. A frown knotted his brows. "I think you'll need a more complete exam, Mr. Wheeler…"

"Joey. The formality reminds me of _him_." He practically spat.

"Ah right. Mr. Kaiba, you might want to take your brother outside so I can check Joey out more fully. I thank you for your help and you can even go if you wish."

"Of course, doctor, and make sure to bill me for his expenses." Kaiba said then hesitated at the door. "We'll wait outside for you, Joey, since you are coming home with us when you're done here as I have no confidence in your mother."

"Ah thanks, Kaiba." The blond answered in a defeated voice that hit Kaiba in the gut before he let the door close behind them.

"Other than the broken ankle he has a dislocated shoulder and cracked ribs plus many older injuries which is consistent with abuse. Once I post my findings to the proper authorities, I am sure they will want to speak to your friend."

"Which can wait until tomorrow at the earliest." Kaiba intoned as he glanced across room to where both Joey and Mokuba were comparing their casts. "For now we've all had a hard day and I wish to take my brother home. When they wish to speak to Joey, they can reach him at my place where he'll be staying at least until he has fully recovered."

"Yes sir." The doctor replied smartly as the young man walked away with the usual flair of his blue trench behind him.

_--_

"No! No please…nmh…please, Dad.!"

A sliver of light settled on Joey as he writhed on the bed in the throes of a nightmare. Seto's cheek twitched in anger at the obvious trauma the elder Wheeler had left Joey with. The silver tracks that trailed the teen's cheeks brought a need to comfort and protect, which moved him to act, so he laid down beside the blond then pulled him into his arms. At his whispered words of comfort, the other teen finally relaxed with a sigh then slipped into deeper slumber. Seto would of left then except that Joey had wrapped his arms around his waist and wouldn't let go even in sleep. He sighed with a contentment he hadn't felt in such a long time as Seto rested his head against the soft blond hair. _Oh well, I'll just have to deal with this in the morning._ Was his last coherent thought as he gave into sleep.

Mokuba grinned impishly when he found them together in Joey's bed then rushed back to his room for his camera. '_I've gotta have a picture of this!' _To the preteen's relief, his subjects hadn't moved so he awkwardly raised the digital camera with his left hand as he silently cursed the fact that he had broken the wrong arm to make this easier. Several close-ups later, the dark haired imp scurried back out of the room. _'Thank god for Saturdays, Big Brother deserves his sleep. _However, he had forgotten his cast in his haste to reach his room before Seto woke up and watched in horror as a large ornate vase fell off the small table.

The loud crash woke both Seto and Joey, but they found it hard to move right away. Confused honey brown eyes met deep blue then Joey blushed at their closeness. "Uh whaddya I miss?"

Seto cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his own blush when he realized that their feet had become entangled in the night, a feat that seemed nearly impossible with the cast on Joey's lower leg. "Uh um you had a nightmare and I…uh thought that this would be better than just waking you up cause you needed your sleep and…"

"Oh. Thanks, Seto." Joey whispered then listened to an impulse and placed a light kiss on the brunette's cheek.

He winced once he attempted to disentangle them so Seto placed a restraining hand on his bare chest with a light blush to his cheeks. "Rest, Pup. I'll go investigate since I have a feeling Mokuba is up to something."

"Aw, Seto, it wasn't my fault!" Mokuba whined as he reappeared into the doorway. "I forgot about my cast when I was hurrying to um…get you and I guess I was too close to the table or something. I'm sorry, Seto."

The elder Kaiba sighed then walked over to his brother to hug him comfortingly. "I understand, Mokuba, as long as you're alright."

Mokuba nodded then sniffed as he rubbed his bright violet eyes. "Yeah, it just startled me. Hey, Joey, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Eh, a bit better just really tender." Joey answered a bit self-consciously as he pulled the blanket over his bandaged multicolored chest, but not before both brothers noticed the details.

They sucked in their breath sharply then Mokuba tried to pretend that he didn't just see the evidence of paternal brutality. "Uh um, I'm gonna go downstairs and watch cartoons bye."

The blond blinked at his sudden departure then sighed. "Could ya grab me a shirt, Seto? There's no way I can sleep now anyway and I'd rather not be alone."

Seto knew that there was no point in pressing the point so he complied, albeit a bit reluctantly. "As long as you take it easy today, Joey. Your ribs will make it difficult for you to maneuver crutches for awhile so please ask either Mokuba or I for help to get around. The last thing I want is to have to take you back to the hospital just because you broke an arm or something else."

Joey blushed when instead of handing him the shirt, Seto insisted on helping him put it on. He winced at the movement and the image his words conjured. "Good point. I certainly don't want to go there again any time soon. Ah thanks again, Seto for all this and getting the cops to release my stuff from their crime scene. You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to. Besides isn't this kind of stuff Gardner usually rants about in her friendship speeches?"

"Who woulda thought you'd actually listen to them and here I always thought you tuned us out." He winced then blushed when Seto picked him up bridal style. "Um I kinda need to um…"

"Uh right." Seto said in understanding then set him down in the bathroom before retreating.

Mokuba looked up at the cute sight of Joey in Seto's arms when they joined him in the kitchen. The blush remained after Joey was settled into a chair and Seto turned to prepare breakfast. "What sounds good to you, Pup?"

"Whatevah ya have that's edible." Joey shrugged then looked at the younger Kaiba. "So what did you do to your arm, Mokuba?"

"Heh, heh. Funny story, but in short I fell out of a tree."

The blond blinked then smirked. "Ah that explains why Seto had ta leave early yesterday. They sure took their sweet time getting to ya then."

"Yeah with the emergency and all." He sighed then winced when the darkness returned to his friends eyes. "Ah, Joey, I'm sorry I didn't mean…"

"Hn. No prob, kiddo. Stuff happens and the only thing left sometimes is to deal with it." He said with a hint of tired bitterness in his voice that caused Seto to turn and glance at him sharply.

They watched the blond only pick at his food after only a few bites until he finally pushed the plate away. "Sorry, Seto, it was good but I just can't… I'm gonna go lay down on the couch."

"Not without my help." Seto intoned as he stood to offer his arm which Joey took with only a little hesitation.

Mokuba sighed quietly to himself. _'He had a long way to go."_


	2. Part 2

**Part Two**

'_I can't do this.' _Joey realized when he watched his mother stride angrily toward him. "What are you doing here, Joseph?"

"Oh so now I can't properly say goodbye to my sista is that it?"

"You had your chance now leave." She hissed angrily at him.

"No. I have a right ta be here and you can't stop me." He said boldly.

The woman huffed as she raised her hand, but before it could connect a larger hand stopped hers. Her eyes widened yet they still blazed in fury as she met those of the infamous CEO. Seto's eyes held a dire warning that made her mouth grow dryer. "I advised you never to lay another hand on my boyfriend again or I swear I will make you regret it. What amazes me is how you can possibly call yourself a mother. Come on, Joey."

Dazed with what had happened, Joey nodded then maneuvered his crutches after his 'boyfriend'. Doubt mixed with hope filled him until he pushed it away for Seto couldn't of possibly meant calling him that. Probably just to irritate his mother and Joey could see that it worked when he stood up to give his eulogy. He almost chuckled at her sour expression, but the pain in his heart prevented it. Just as well since they could never… He would still treasure the mornings he had woken up to within Seto's arms long after he'd leave.

Seto looked at the quiet teen beside him in the limo after the funeral. His recent quietness bothered him more than he cared to admit and due to the expressions in his friends' eyes, he could tell it bothered them too. On the other hand it had only been three days since his sister's tragic death. In fact taking him and his friends out to lunch afterwards was one of his attempts to bring back the Joey they all know and love. Yes it was true. The seemingly cold CEO not only had a heart, but it had been stolen not that long ago by an unsuspecting blond. It had hurt when he had seen him with that flashy blonde, Mai Valentine. Seto had been in the park that fateful night after he had announced a merger to another company in the form of an engagement to the company head's daughter. He had escaped during the after party to clear his head and found the two blondes in a heated lip-lock. The moment he heard that woman moan Joey's name, an unexpected pain had seared his heart and then he knew. Seto could never marry some high-maintenance, high-society chick when his heart belonged to Joey, even if he was with that blonde bimbo at the moment. So with a wounded heart, Seto hurried off in the other direction with the immense relief that he hadn't been seen.

"Hey earth to Kaiba!" Joey said with a quizzical expression that also held…concern?

'_One way to find out.' _

"Hey!" Joey gasped when not only his wrist was caught, but he was pulled into his crush's lap. If that wasn't surprising enough, the other's mouth had captured his. All thoughts of escape and leaving left his mind at the moment Seto had taken advantage of the blonde's surprise. A low moan left him as he not only let the warm tongue explore his own mouth, but waged war against it with his own…until a few nervous coughs reminded them exactly where they were and with whom.

Yugi's face was bright red when he found his face in a certain chest where Téa had obstructed his view of the heated scene in an attempt to protect his innocence. Oh yeah that worked real well once he realized his open mouth had ended up in her cleavage. A startled laugh from Joey broke the sudden tension once Yugi manage to extract himself from the girl he would find it difficult to look in the eye for some time. However, the moment the limo stopped at a light, Tristian bailed out on them with some lame excuse. It was comical to watch him run down the sidewalk like the maniac he is when Joey recovered enough to laugh softly. "I think you may of scarred him for life, Seto."

"You mean _we_ scarred him for life since I distinctly remember your involvement in the kiss." He answered huskily as he enjoyed the golden light in his puppy's eyes.

"Which reminds me. Did you mean what you said to my mother or was it…" His words were interrupted when Seto chose an alternate method to answer him. The truth was revealed as Seto effectively drove away Joey's doubts with the gentle pressure of his lips. Despite herself Téa sighed at the sweetness of their kiss when she saw the soft light in her friend's eyes.

"Well all I can say is that it's about time, big brother!"

Both boys gave him no notice since they had apparently forgotten once again that they weren't alone. Yugi shifted with only slight discomfort when Téa's hand inched toward him again. "Um guess you don't always need privacy hey, Mokuba?"

"Considering how long my brother has hid his feelings…no."

"Hmmm. Say what?" Joey asked dazedly when they finally came up for air.

"Oh lookie we're here!" Mokuba covered up the slip then laughed. "Tristian's gonna be upset he missed out on this place cause it has the best food."

"Not to mention that Kaiba is paying, which is an odd occurrence in itself." Téa commented.

"His loss." Joey shrugged as he followed his new boyfriend inside the restaurant.

_--_

"I knew you were avoiding me before…well you know. Ever since your announcement a couple of months back."

Seto's arms tightened around him as a deep sigh rumbled in his chest. "Guess we were avoiding each other and I'm sorry, Joey. I just couldn't deal with seeing the two of you in the park that night."

"You saw…" Joey stiffened then swallowed hard at the unbidden emotions he had fought so hard to bury. "How much did ya see?"

"Enough. When I realized you were going to leave with her…"

Pained brown eyes looked up into his usually stoic face. "Sorry, Set, but I didn't know. Funny thing is, the reason I was even there that night was because the news of your engagement hurt more than I had even thought possible. Well, that and I couldn't go home that night due to the fact that my father had saw my reaction to it."

Seto kissed the corner of his eye where a tear had escaped. "I never loved her and I didn't even know my true feelings for you until I saw you with that bimbo."

"Neither did I, not really. I was confused by what I felt for you and her that I…" He sighed heavily. "Too bad that didn't become clear until after Mai left me then you started avoiding me. It hurt, but not as bad as the knowledge of how I hurt you unknowingly."

"Shhh, that doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is us."

"I really do love you, Seto."

"No more than I love you, Pup."

**End**

Between the perfect world and the bottom line, Keeping love alive in these troubles times. It's a miracle in itself. And we know too well what that's about. Still we made it through, only God knows how. We must've had a little help.

Chorus: (Must've been) Wild Angels, Wild Angels. Watching over you and me. Wild Angels, Wild Angels. Baby what else could it be?

Well it must've been hard, it must've been tough. Keeping up with crazy fools like us'. Cause it's so easy to fall apart. And we still break each other's heart sometimes. Spend some nights on the jagged side. Somehow we wake up in each other's arms

Chorus: (Must've been) Wild Angels, Wild Angels. Watching over you and me. Wild Angels, Wild Angels. Baby what else could it be.

There are some nights, I watch you while you dream. I swear I hear the sound of beating wings

Wild Angel/Martina McBride

_ANYeah I coulda blended it better, but when it ends it ends and I can't change that nor want to. This song kinda fits in somehow and I want to post it so dwi. Nope don't own the song either...duh._


End file.
